Memory Alpha:AOL chats/Ronald D. Moore/raolchat.txt
OnlineHost: Copyright 1997 America Online, Inc. OnlineHost: Mr. Moore is not involved in Voyager, the IMAX movie, or Star Trek Movie #9, so don't even think about it! :D STFC Deb: Hello, everyone! Welcome to Trek Chat with our very special guest, Deep Space Nine Co-Executive Producer Ronald D. Moore! Assisting Mr. Moore tonight will be myself and STFC BoP. We're staff members of America Online's Star Trek Forum Club, which provides both open and moderated Trek chats, scheduled trivia games, and lots of message boards. The Trek Forum can be found at Keyword: Trek! STFC Deb: Ron began his Star Trek career by selling a spec script for The Next Generation. Soon he became a staff writer and supervising producer before that show ended. Ron then moved on to Deep Space Nine, where he is now Co-Executive Producer! STFC Deb: Ron, thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to chat with us! Welcome! RonDMoore: Thank you and it's a genuine pleasure to be here. STFC Deb: Before we begin taking questions, perhaps you can fill us in on what's in store for DS9's next season? RonDMoore: We begin shooting the season premiere - "A Time to Stand" tomorrow!! We're all really excited about this season and especially the on-going War against the Dominion. STFC Deb: Great! And will this episode wrap up the war with the Dominion? RonDMoore: The War won't be wrapped up in the first episode. It will run for a while and with a lot of interesting story lines along the way. STFC Deb: After last season's cliffhanger, I'm sure we're all looking forward to it! RonDMoore: My first script will be the second episode of the year - "Rocks and Shoals." STFC Deb: Any sneak peeks for us, Ron? RonDMoore: All I can say is that you'll see some very interesting stuff on both the Defiant and DS9... er, Terok Nor before the end of the war. STFC Deb: Can't wait for the new season to start! Now, let's take some questions! STFC BoP: OK! Our first question is from someone who wants to know... Question: Good sir, to start us off, would you give us a quick description of the episode "The Bonding"?...we all know it, but not necessarily by the title, and being your first...it is significant. RonDMoore: "Bonding" was a 3rd season TNG episode that dealt with a young boy whose mother is killed during an Away mission and is then orphaned on the Enterprise. STFC Deb: I remember that this episode ended with Worf more or less adopting the orphan. Great episode! STFC Deb: Do we have another question? STFC BoP: The next question is from ButterDJ! Question: Which set did you have more fun working on? Generations or First Contact? RonDMoore: The First Contact set! Everything was more relaxed and fun the second time around. On Generations, everyone was very tense and very tired -- TNG had literally just ended and no one was fully rested when Generations got underway. By contrast, the First Contact set was lively and fun and there was a sense of the family coming back together rather than having been together for too long. STFC Deb: BoP, what's the next question? STFC BoP: Our next question is from Marc 324! Question: This is probably the question that everyone is asking, but is this next season of DS9 the last? RonDMoore: It's still up in the air. We're not going to know officially for MONTHS, so everyone just get comfy and try not to get too worked up over rumors one way or the other. STFC Deb: Good advice, Ron. :) Next question? STFC BoP: OK, here's BOOBOOCATO's question! Question: Ron, I noticed that in your credits are some of the best Worf/Troi episodes. How do you feel about the decision to end this relationship? RonDMoore: I think there was little choice once we brought Worf onto DS9. There was no way it could continue with Worf on the station and we didn't want to get bogged down in a huge expositional story about the breakup, so we just let it happen off-camera. Personally, as much as I liked Worf/Troi in concept, it never quite gelled on screen the way that the Worf/Dax relationship has, so overall the end of Worf/Troi is a good thing. STFC Deb: I know a lot of fans who agree with you, Ron. What's our next question? STFC BoP: Antigone3 asks an interesting question! Question: What is the most challenging part of your career? RonDMoore: Getting in was certainly the biggest hurdle, as it was for any novice. I got very, very, very, very, lucky to get my break when I did. Since then, the challenge has been to continue to grow and develop in my craft. I've tried to make every script better than the last with varying degrees of success). The challenge of the actual work never really stops, and that's what keeps the job interesting and invigorating. I love my job. STFC Deb: BoP, who's next? STFC BoP: Let's get this one out of the way, Ron- HOLLY2HOP wants to know... Question: On submissions: do you want to see spec scripts or a story synopsis? And, will you accept agent submissions? RonDMoore: At the moment we accept ONLY complete teleplays (scripts) submitted either with an official Paramount release form (call 213-956-8301) or through an accredited agent. The policy is under review at the moment and could change, so if you're going to submit something to the show, I'd do it SOON! STFC Deb: Good advice again. Next question? STFC BoP: Tomarken is wondering... Question: Ron - - Thanks for your cyber-participation tonight. What are your thoughts on the future of the Star Trek franchise beyond DS9 and Voyager? Are we nearing the end? RonDMoore: It's hard to say. The Trek franchise has no precedent to follow, so no one can say where it could or should go. Who could've suspected it would last this long? It could fade away, be revitalized with a new series, fade away then come back -- it's all guesswork. Star Trek is unique and those who have declared it dead before have been wrong many times in the past. STFC Deb: Let's hope for a long and healthy life. :) Next question, please! STFC BoP: TonyLuzzi has an intriguing double question! Question: What is the best thing about the Star Trek universe... In both the 20th and 24th Century? RonDMoore: The best thing in the 24th century (as a writer) is the variety of Trek. What I've been able to do in my tenure, is to write everything from romances to hospital dramas, to courtroom battles, to space battles, to family melodrama, to 60s spy thrillers! Trek is a very versatile and flexible format for the scribe and it's a fun place to park your keyboard. In the 20th century, Trek to me has always been FUN. That is uppermost. RonDMoore: It's a fun place to spend an hour of your time. It can entertain you, make you think, make you cry, even make you mad as hell and throw things at the TV when you disagree with us. But boy is it fun... and boy wouldn't life be just a little sadder without it? STFC Deb: Ron, anything you haven't done within the Trek Universe that you'd like to tackle? RonDMoore: Every time I think of something, we manage to do it! No kidding -- I'd always wanted to write a "Bond" movie. Done it. Always wanted to write a series of war-based stories in Trek. Doing it. Wanted to do a courtroom drama. Done it. I have things that I still want to do, and I'm still hoping that we'll get a chance to do them. STFC Deb: We hope so too! Next question, please? STFC BoP: BTW, we currently have over 750 questions in the Queue. I cannot guarantee we can get to all of them. :D Jethawks ask... Question: Jake's character continues to grow and develop--much better than other young people in television series who grow older. How tough has it been to integrate him into the story lines? RonDMoore: It has gotten easier as he got older and as the writers got more comfortable with his character. Until we hit on Jake as a writer (in "The Abandoned" as I recall) we didn't really have a role for him within the context of the show. No one wanted to go down the Wesley Crusher Super-Genius road again, and it just took a while to find Jake's niche on the station. STFC Deb: Next question? STFC BoP: Narb flick wonders, Question: Ron, can you address the latest rumor--will Andy Robinson (Garak) be joining the regular cast this season? RonDMoore: Andy will not be joining the cast as a regular, but will be featured in several episodes. STFC Deb: BoP, who's next? STFC BoP: Ok, this one HAD to be asked! P48506 asks, Question: boxers or briefs? RonDMoore: Boxers and thanks for caring... STFC Deb: Now that we all know THAT.... :) Next question for Ron? STFC BoP: Worf2DS9 asks this question- not sure why HE'D be interested :D Question: Having overseen many of Worf's finest moments, are you happy with the way the character has developed over the years, and is there anything you'd like to do with him now to further his development? RonDMoore: I've been happy to see the changes in the character since he was brought onto DS9 -- I think we ran the danger of "de-fanging" Worf by the end of TNG and there's been a concerted effort made to roughen him up and give him some sharper edges. He's more likely to err now, more likely to do the wrong thing for the wrong reason... I think that makes him more interesting as a character and more compelling to write for. STFC Deb: Lucky he has Dax to keep him on the right path.... Next question? STFC BoP: MLMartin would like to ask, Question: What can we expect for Kai Winn and Weyoun this coming season? RonDMoore: I'm not sure what the next step will be for the Kai (don't worry, we won't forget about her) but I do know that Weyoun will be on Terok Nor, uncomfortably sharing power with Elmo Dukat. STFC Deb: Elmo? I won't even ask! :D Next question, Elmo BoP? ;) RonDMoore: It's always been his first name. You didn't know that? STFC BoP: CBoudr is curious... Question: how do you like making a weekly event? such interesting character? RonDMoore: I'm sorry, I don't quite understand the question... STFC BoP: I guess he is wondering how you like producing such an interesting show... one with so many great characters? RonDMoore: Oh. I think the strength of the show lies in the many characters that make up our family. Everyone from Sisko to Morn has a place in the DS9 pantheon and as a writer that makes for an interesting place to concoct tales, because you've always got someone else to turn to in a scene, someone else to contribute something from out of left field. STFC Deb: Next question, please? STFC BoP: OK, I've seen this one go by about 20 times, so let's deal with it, Ron- DefiantXOX et al asks... Question: What were the names of the Other two Defiant class ships in the fleet in "A Call to Arms", and why were they brought in? RonDMoore: We haven't named them (not officially, maybe the VFX guys have). We wanted to show a variety of ships in the Fed/Klingon fleet and so we just decided that the Fed was now cranking out Defiant-class vessels based on Sisko's recommendations to SF Command. STFC Deb: Next question? STFC BoP: TScarecrow addresses a frequent question tonight also- Question: Will we be seeing any further material dealing with the 'Mirror Universe'? RonDMoore: Yes. In fact, we were working on it today. It'll be written by Michael Taylor, who you may remember from "The Visitor" and "Things Past" and it'll probably be in the first dozen shows. STFC Deb: Great! STFC Deb: Last question for Ron tonight..... STFC BoP: Ron, tonight's last question comes from you! Answer the question nobody asked tonight but you wish they had! RonDMoore: What's the best part of your job? STFC BoP: (That was probably question #47) RonDMoore: I get to sit in a room and make up stories about a childhood fantasy. Up on my shelf at this very moment is a model of the Enterprise I built when I was 12 years old. It stays up to remind me of that special joy that Trek gave me when I was young and to inspire me to deliver it to everyone watching every week just like I did all those years ago. RonDMoore: For the privilege of embroidering on this tapestry started by Gene I will always be grateful, just as I am to all of you who continue to watch and enjoy and let me do what I do best: Sit around and talk about Klingons all day. STFC Deb: Regretfully, our time is just about up! I'd like to thank you all for attending tonight, and thanks to AOL for letting us present this event to you in the Coliseum! But special "Thanks!" to Ron Moore for being here to answer all your questions! STFC Deb: If we did not get to your question tonight, you can post it at Keyword:Trek --> Star Trek Message Boards --> The Promenade --> "Ask Ron D Moore" folder. He's on his 20th folder now, and we've just released ALL his previous Answers in the Record Banks in one concise folder. You may want to download that! STFC Deb: While in the Trek Forum, check out TRIVIA OPS and consider submitting your 10 Favorite Trek episodes in our special fan poll! May you all Walk with the Prophets! STFC Deb: Good night audience, Good night Ron, Good night BoP! RonDMoore: Good night everyone! STFC BoP: Good night, all! OnlineHost: Copyright 1997 America Online, Inc. RON MOORE MAGNANIMOUSLY DECIDED TO HIT THE BRIDGE NOW TO ANSWER EVEN MORE QUESTIONS! STFC B0P: Welcome Ron :) STFC Deb: Hi Ron! Welcome to the Bridge! STFC Randy: Great job, Ron! STFC WAH: IMHO, a great job answering questions RonDMoore: Thanks everyone. It was fun. DefiantXOX: Ron, one question: Borg, yes or no STFC Deb: We can't thank you enough for joining us tonight, Ron. RonDMoore: Borg - no. Gorn1701: Ron, Ent E at the end of call to arms or not? RonDMoore: No Ent-E at end of Call to Arms STFC WAH: Ron, are there any spoilers you can give us at this point besides what you said in the chat? RonDMoore: You can look forward to Worf and Dax's marriage, some surprises on Terok Nor, and some VERY interesting things in store for Elmo Dukat. STFC Randy: Let's not overwhelm Ron with questions, especially about Voyager. STFC WAH: Is his name really Elmo? Gorn1701: ELMO!! Hail Elmo! DefiantXOX: LOL at Elmo Dukat Kahvis: Ron, I'll send you $5 if you really use that as his first name... STFC B0P: WAH...actually, BoP isn't here. I'm BoP's alter ego, Deebz. ;> Rodaan: Ron, is there any hope for a Nagus tale this season...oh, please say yes. RonDMoore: The bidding has begun at $5... do I hear $10? STFC WAH: Deebz, u want to? We seem to need it. STFC B0P: STARTING QUEUE. Type ? if you have a question for Ron. STFC WAH: Folks, please .. let's follow a protocol procedure StevenTrek: ? SusieQ2000: $50 Kahless: ?? DeeanaTroi: Ron, you gotta come here more often!!! STFC WAH: Please wait until you are called on, okay? RonDMoore: I feel like I've just caused a riot... AdmiralOdo: nice chat back there STFC Deb: Let's not overwhelm Ron. He's done his bit for King and country already tonight. STFC B0P: Que: Steven, Kahless DefiantXOX: Ron, would you tell me how they managed to squeeze 10 miranda class ships out of a supply of 2? RonDMoore: Miranda classes are freeze-dried and need only water. DeeanaTroi: ? Queued 2: ? StevenTrek: Ron, Are there any new shows in Development for after DS9 or Voyager STFC WAH: If you wish to ask a question, please type ? and you will be called on in turn DefiantXOX: ? USSHood: ? DeeanaTroi: Ron, I have to go. Thank you for a WONDERFUL chat!!! Bye all!!!!!! RonDMoore: There are no series currently in the pipeline post Voyager/DS9. Rodaan: ? FounderVen: ? STFC B0P: Que: Kahless, Wesley, Randy, Deeana, Defiant, USSHood, Rodaan, FounderVan Kahless: Ron thanks for coming here. Was the ENterprise part of the fleet on DS9? RonDMoore: Ent-E was not in the fleet. Kahless: :-) Thank you STFC WAH: BoP, where are we in the que? STFC B0P: Que: Wesley, Randy, Deeana, Defiant, USSHood, Rodaan, FounderVan WesleyL354: Is the Cardassian/Dominion alliance going to stay intact? RonDMoore: Wesley -- Yes, for the foreseeable future. STFC B0P: Que: Randy, Deeana, Defiant, USSHood, Rodaan, FounderVan STFC B0P: Randy's up. DeeanaTroi: Ron took time out of his busy schedule so lets show him respect. STFC Randy: Who's next to get teamed up with Garak? Dax? Weyoun? Kai Winn? RonDMoore: There's some Garak/Nog stuff coming up in my show (number 2) STFC B0P: Que: Randy, Deeana, Defiant, USSHood, Rodaan, FounderVan, EnsCone, STFC Randy: Cool! Thanks, Ron! Guinan74: Hey everyone! Man the Conference room is FULL tonight! STFC B0P: Deanna is up. DeeanaTroi: Do you have an estimate of how many ships were in that fleet in "A Call to Arms?" STFC WAH: Guinan, we have Ronald D. Moore with us right now. Guinan74: What is going on? STFC WAH: We are asking him questions.. have a seat and listen in! RonDMoore: Deeana -- we don't have an estimate on the number in the fleet -- however, we do not believe that it was the ONLY fleet forming to fight against the Dominion from SF. STFC Randy: Everybody stay cool. We'll get to as many as we can. DeeanaTroi: Thank you Mr Moore. STFC B0P: Que: Defiant, USSHood, Rodaan, FounderVan, EnsCone, Admiral Odo, Buzzard, Muppet STFC B0P: Defiant is up. DefiantXOX: In my friend's words: "are you going to tantalize us with the destruction of the wormhole?" RonDMoore: Defiant -- anything is possible. Hey, man, I gotta keep some mystery. STFC WAH: Please, folks.. follow the protocol Shambellle: ? STFC B0P: Que:USSHood, Rodaan, FounderVan, EnsCone, Admiral Odo, Buzzard, Muppet STFC B0P: USSHood is up. USSHood: will Dax approve of the klingon marriage ceremony? RonDMoore: Haven't worked out the details of the ceremony yet. STFC B0P: Que:Rodaan, FounderVan, EnsCone, Admiral Odo, Buzzard, Muppet, USSHood: thank you Ron! STFC B0P: Rodaan is up Rodaan: Will Alexander Roshenko and/or Troi attend the wedding of Worf and Dax? RonDMoore: Not sure who'll be at the wedding yet. But there's a VERY good chance you'll be seeing Alex Rozhenko this year... STFC B0P: Que:FounderVan, EnsCone, Admiral Odo, Buzzard, Muppet,Shambelle, Prowler, STFC B0P: FounderVan is up FounderVen: Mr. Moore, Will The Romulans join the Federation/Klingon task force.. Or the Dominon? ShadoDragn: ? DilberTrek: ? RonDMoore: No plans for the Roms one way or the other yet. STFC B0P: Que:EnsCone, Admiral Odo, Buzzard, Muppet,Shambelle, Prowler,ShadoDragn, Dilber, FounderVen: Thank you.... STFC B0P: EnsCone is up. EnsCone: IS IT TRUE A TNG DS9 EPISODE IS IN THE WORKS? RonDMoore: No TNG/DS9 episode is being contemplated. STFC B0P: Que:Admiral Odo, Buzzard, Muppet,Shambelle, Prowler,ShadoDragn, Dilber, EnsCone: THANKS DeeanaTroi: Please everyone, be polite. Imagine you are at a fancy dinner STFC B0P: Admiral Odo is up. AdmiralOdo: Mr. Moore, I was wondering if any major DS9 characters would be killed or taken off the show next season? STFC WAH: Folks, we have Ronald D. Moore with us.. please have a seat and listen to him answer the questions in the queue. RonDMoore: No one is planned to be killed yet. But if they so much as look at me wrong on the set..... StevenTrek: LOL Ron MaCleodDcn: LOL DilberTrek: LMAO Ron!! TREKgirl2: lol STFC Deb: LOL! STFC Randy: LOL! AdmiralOdo: LOL FounderVen: LOL Kahless: LMAO RON Natali2908: LOL RYAN JDMP: lol Muppet999: lol SusieQ2000: LOL Alltrek: lol DeeanaTroi: ROFL Ron DefiantXOX: LOL Ron! DOwen1701: :) Moogie72: Lol STFC B0P: Que:Buzzard, Muppet,Shambelle, Prowler,ShadoDragn, Dilber, StevenTrek, Wesley STFC B0P: Buzzard is up STFC WAH: Please, folks, stick to the protocol DeeanaTroi: Mr Moore, it was an honor to meet you. Goodbye all!! Buzzard65: Kind Sir, What wasyour first Star Trek experience -Episode, and what did you think? RonDMoore: My first Trek experience? Ah, I remember her well, she was dressed like Shana and... STFC WAH: :-) Buzzard65: lol ApolloK727: lmao! TREKgirl2: hehe MaCleodDcn: LOL EnsCone: LOL Muppet999: lol FounderVen: ::hisses:: DOwen1701: LOL STFC Randy: Ah, the Shanna bit. I remember it well. STFC Deb: Ahem...."Family Service"? ;) STFC WAH: Folks, Ronald D. Moore is with us and answering questions. STFC B0P: Que:Muppet,Shambelle, Prowler,ShadoDragn, Evil,Dilber, StevenTrek, Wesley, Alltrek, STFC B0P: Muppet is up STFC WAH: In order to ask a question, type ? to be placed in the queue. Then want to be called on, PLEASE Muppet999: Mr Moore, I was wondering why you backed out of writing Star Trek 9 RonDMoore: I just decided that it was too soon for me to start writing another TNG feature. I felt like I had just finished working on FC and if I was going to do a 3rd one that it would have to be better than FC and I wasn't ready to do that yet. Michael Piller will do a great job. STFC Randy: Just be patient, folks, and we'll get to as many as we can. STFC B0P: Que:,Shambelle, Prowler,ShadoDragn, EvilK,Dilber, StevenTrek, Wesley, Alltrek, AdmOdo STFC B0P: Shambelle is up Shambellle: Sisko has yet to have his back against the wall like Picard(borg) or others.When will he? RonDMoore: Getting kicked off his own station was pretty bad. Things'll only get worse for Sisko in the war. STFC B0P: Que: Prowler,ShadoDragn, EvilKira ,Dilber, StevenTrek, Wesley, Alltrek, AdmOdo STFC B0P: Prowler is up STFC WAH: Prowler has gone STFC B0P: ShadoDragn is next. ShadoDragn: Mr. Moore, Will DS9 jump on the movie bandwagon like TNG? STFC B0P: Folks, if you've asked one question, I'm not putting you back in the queue. I'm sure Ron would like to get out of here before midnight. ;> STFC Randy: It's bound to be a little crazy with 47 Star Trek fans in one room, but relax. RonDMoore: Hard to say. That's up to the folks at Paramount. Right now, we don't even know if there's going to be a 7th year or not. STFC B0P: Que: EvilKira ,Dilber, StevenTrek, Wesley, Alltrek, AdmOdo STFC B0P: EvilKira's up. EvilKira: After the fantastic reception of Trials & Tribs, would you consider another cross-Trek ep? RonDMoore: It would be nice -- but we'd have to have a GREAT idea in order to go that way again. I doubt we'll ever do another "Forest Gump" type show, tho. STFC B0P: Que: Dilber, StevenTrek, Wesley, Alltrek, AdmOdo, Wuher909, Queued2, Omegous STFC B0P: Dilber's up next EvilKira: Thanks! :> DilberTrek: Mr. Moore, I just wanted to say thanks for coming out first of all. Second, do you think there will be a 10th film? If so, would you like to work on it? RonDMoore: A 10th film will depend on how the 9th film does. It's hard to say what I'll be doing then, but I'd certainly consider it. STFC B0P: Que: StevenTrek, Wesley, Alltrek, AdmOdo, Wuher909, Queued2, Omegous, EvilPicard, TwoBricks ? STFC B0P: Steven is up next. StevenTrek: Ron, Do the Cardassians still have the goal of reconquering Bajor? If so will this strain their relationship with the Dominion? RonDMoore: The Cardies definitely still have their eyes on Bajor and this may cause tension in the relationship with their new buddies, the Dominion. STFC B0P: Que:Wesley, Alltrek, AdmOdo, Wuher909, Queued2, Omegous, EvilPicard, TwoBricks STFC B0P: Wesley is up next. WesleyL354: What characters from TNG, if any, will we be likely to see in coming episodes? RonDMoore: There are no plans for TNG characters on DS9 at the moment. STFC B0P: Que:Alltrek, AdmOdo, Wuher909, Queued2, Omegous, EvilPicard, TwoBricks, Gorn1701 STFC B0P: Alltrek is up next. WesleyL354: thanks Mr. Moore! Bye everyone! Alltrek: Mr. Moore thank you for your contribution to Trek.. I have often thought the series shoud be inter- connected TNG and dDS9 as this leaves more undiscovered countries to explore. Your opinion, sir? STFC WAH: If you have had your question listed in the que, you do not need to keep typing ? RonDMoore: Uh. Sure. The continuity is great. Two more questions. STFC B0P: Que:AdmOdo, Wuher909, STFC B0P: AdmOdo is up. AdmiralOdo: I was wondering if there were any plans for the Enterprise E to be in a DS9 episode? RonDMoore: No plans for the Ent-E on DS9. RonDMoore: Two more. STFC B0P: Wuher, you're up WUHER 9D9: RON WHAT TIP COULD YOU GIVE US FOR WRITING SCRIPTS FOR ST EPISODES RonDMoore: Write what you have a passion for, write a story YOU want to see, don't try to 2nd guess us. RonDMoore: last one. STFC B0P: Omegous you're up. Omegous: Ron...when writng Star Trek episodes what is the most difficult part? Like in Call to Arms? RonDMoore: The most difficult part is to make it fresh and different and unique compared to the shows that have been written before. There's a lot of Trek out there and it's not easy to keep coming up with new adventures week after week. STFC WAH: Thanks, Ron! Great job, as always! StevenTrek: Ron, Thank you for coming, It was a real pleasure talking to you tonight Muppet999: Thank you Mr Moore. Say hi to everyone on DS9 for me Omegous: Wanted to ask all night! Have nice night Mr Moore! DilberTrek: --> Thank you SO MUCH for coming out tonight and putting up with some of us, Ron! <-- MaCleodDcn: Thank you Ron TREKgirl2: Mr. Moore, thanks for taking the time to be here. :) RonDMoore: Okay, thanks everyone and I'll be seeing you 'round the Ask Ron Folder. Good-night Moore, Ronald D.